False sense of security

by David Long

There is now talk of the public wearing face masks to combat covid-19. But some say this would give the public a false sense of security because face mask do not fully protect one from the virus. One may think they are protected when they are not. Well, I don't want a false sense of security, do you? Just like I don't want a false sense of hope. Spiritually speaking most people are living with a false sense of hope. They think they are saved and going to heaven, when they are not. "Not everyone who says to Me,'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" (Matt. 7:21-23).

Sanitizer

by David Long

Do you need sanitizer? It's my understanding that because of this pandemic sanitizer is the number one seller right now. People are really concerned about being clean. We are told we need to wash our hands. I say we needed to be concerned about that before the virus. But let's think for a minute about a spiritual sanitizer. The Bible says, "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded" (James 4:8). Sin needs sanitized. "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1). What is the spiritual sanitizer? "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently" (1 Pet. 1:22). The word "purified" means "To make clean." The sanitizer is the word of God (John 15:3). But like any sanitizer it must be applied. Are you obeying the word?

Bored?

by David Long

This pandemic has many in lockdown. We are "locked" in our houses. What can we do? (1) Now is a good time to spend more time studying the Bible (2 Tim. 2:15). Any other time we were too  busy to study God's word but how bout now? Now what's your excuse for not spending more time in studying the Scriptures? (2) Being in "lockdown" can drive one crazy. Now's the time to text, call, use Facetime or other social media to encourage someone who is having a hard time in "lockdown." (3) Watch some good programs like oabs.org or the Gospel Broadcasting Network. These programs can help you grow in your study of the Bible.

Scared people

by David Long

Scared people can be panicked people. "And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (Mk. 4:37-41). Please notice the two different fears in these verses. The first one shows a lack of faith. The second one is where faith can develop (Prov. 1:7; 9:10; 14:26-27; 15:33; 19:23). Which one do you have in these troubled times?

Ignorance

by David Long

Are we living in the "Dark Ages?" You would think that with the "information highway" or the internet that people would have some "smarts." But ignorance is alive and well in our world. I saw a video where a man was interviewing people buying toilet paper and asking them, "Why were they buying so much toilet paper?" Some wouldn't answer and none had a good answer. The truth is they didn't know why.
I thought, how sad. But I also thought how true when it comes to religion. People don't know what they believe or why they believe. God said of His people in the Old Testament, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..." (Hosea 4:6). Ignorance of the word of God will kill one spiritually. Do people really study the Bible today? No, they do not. Do they really search the Scriptures to see if those things are so (Acts 17:11)? The Bible stories or accounts that used to be common knowledge with just about anyone, aren't common anymore.

selfishness

by David Long

Selfishness is alive and well in our world. I saw it the other day at Walmart. People were panic buying. They bought all the toilet paper, paper towels, can goods, etc. They didn't care about others who may have needed some supplies. The Bible says, "Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others" (Phil. 2:4). We will never make it to heaven with selfishness in our lives.

Do birds panic?

by David Long

I will start to panic about my food supply and toilet paper when I see the birds panicking about theirs.
"For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? "And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span? "And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. "But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? "Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?' "For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matt. 6:25-34).

Get the order right

by David Long

"Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you..." (James 4:8).  Some people have the order wrong. They want God to consider them but they care nothing for God. They want God to draw near to them when they are so far from Him. They want God to hear their prayers when they won't listen to His word. "Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statues" (Psa. 119:155). Please notice why salvation is far from the wicked and it won't get any closer if they continue to not seek God's word. If we don't get the order right, we will never make it to heaven.

What kind of love?

by David Long

We have one word in the English to describe a multitude of feelings - love. We say we love our dog, car, cat, children, house, mate, etc but do we love them all alike? I hope not. The ancient Greeks had four words to describe different kinds of love.
1. Eros. This describes a purely physical love. Fulfilling fleshly desires is this type of love. Lust or passion is this type of love. This type of love is ok when fulfilled according to God's word. For example: fornication and adultery are sinful ways to fulfill this type of love.
2. Storage. This is love for kinfolks (children, parents), a natural affection. This is a love for blood relatives. It is used one time in Bible (Rom. 1:31). It describes people who didn't possess it.
3. Philadelphia from the root word "philos." This is brotherly love. It is used to describe affection between people who have something in common other than the blood flowing through their veins. It is used to describe Christians (Heb. 13:1; Rom. 12:10).
4. Agape. This is the highest form of love. It is a self-sacrificing love, the kind that seeks another's highest good over one's own needs. It goes beyond just the emotions to the extent of seeking the best of others. It's a deliberate and rational choice (Matt. 5:44; Rom. 5:6-8). It's the kind of love God has for man (John 3:16). It's the kind of love the husband is to have for his wife (Eph. 5:25). It's the kind of love we are to have for God and our fellow man (Matt. 22:37-39). It's the kind of love Christians are to have for each other (John 13:34-35). It's the kind of love mentioned in 1 Cor. 13. It's the kind of love Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). If we don't have this kind of love we will never make it to heaven. 

This is how we know what love is

by David Long

"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:16). Two people who "fall in love" probably think they know what love is, they don't. We know what love is when we understand "agape." We understand what love is when we understand what God did for us on the cross of Calvary. We don't understand what love is if we think "agape" is simply a sentiment, platitude or indefinable emotion. If we love like God loves it will involve the decision of the will, a deliberate and rational choice (Rom. 5:6-8; Matt. 5:44). Anything less and we won't make it to heaven.